1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic photofinishing apparatus for producing photographic prints from exposed photographic film, more particularly to an automatic photofinishing apparatus in which processing of exposed film, printing images on to photographic paper and processing of the paper can be performed consecutively.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A known automatic photofinishing apparatus, in which processing of exposed film, printing images onto photographic paper and processing of the paper can be performed consecutively, is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,354. The apparatus disclosed therein is constituted of a film processing section for processing exposed photographic film, and a paper processing section which is disposed along the film processing section and processes photographic paper after printing of images. To print respective negative images of the film upon being exited from the film processing section, two mirrors are disposed between a printing station for the film and an exposure station for the paper. The mirrors are adapted to direct the printing light passed through the negative image to be incident on a photosensitive emulsion surface of the paper. There are, however, problems in this construction, because photographic prints might be degraded, e.g. by an out-of-focus state of the negative image while any mirror is imprecisely fixed, and by image noises in reproduction while dust exists on the mirrors. There is another known photofinishing apparatus as disclosed in Japanese patent laid-open application No. 4-141646, according to which a film processing section is disposed linearly with a paper processing section, so as to face an emulsion surface of the film to an emulsion surface of the paper. This construction does not require a mirror in a printing light path.
However, the latter known apparatus has a problem in that the linear disposition of the film processing section and the paper processing section results in an elongated size, which requires a large space for installation of the apparatus. There is further inconvenience in view of operability during use of the apparatus: a position for inserting an exposed film is located most upstream in the film processing section, whereas a position for exiting photo prints is located most downstream in the paper processing section namely on the farthest end from the film inserting position, with respect to the linear disposition. When a plurality of strips of exposed film is successively treated in the photofinishing apparatus, an operator of a photo laboratory is obliged during operation to move frequently along the whole length of the apparatus.